Process and apparatus for cracking oil



Sept. 4, 1928. Y

Y i .L G. EGLOFF PncEss AND APPARATUS PoR cRAcxINGv on.

original Filedfbc. s1. 1920 `61057271/ g/off f WN NN atented Sept. 4,

Unirse," STATES eusTAv retort', or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, Assronon, To .UNIVERSAL O11. PRODUCTS y. COMPANY, or CHICAGO, immers, A CORPORATION or SOUTH DAKOTA.

:Process ATID'APPARATUS non CRACKING OIL.

pplication' led llleeember 31,' 1920, Serial No. 434,187. Renewed January 13, 1928.'

- This invention relates to improvements in process and apparatus for cracking hydrocarbon. oils and has forrits object to agitata the vapors to increase the speed and eectiveheating coil 6, which may take the form offa- 1 continuous coil of 4 pipe,.the inlet side of which is connected by feed line 7 to charging pump 8. Charging pump 8 is connected at its suction side to line 9, havinguthrottle valve l() leading to any suitable source of raw o-il supply. The discharge into the coil 6 is'connected by transfer line 11, having throty,

tle valve 12 to the upper part of a relatively large expansion, chamber 13. This expansion chamber 13 is provided with liquid drawoii line 14 and throttle valve 15. The expansion chamber is also provided with the vapor outlet pipe 16 andthrottle valve 17, whichl pipely extends'into the bottom of a dephlegmator 18, the dephlegmator being provided with suitable bathing material 19. The up-v per end of the pipe 16 extends above the lower end of the dephlegmator and is provided with the spaced cap member 2O vwhich prevents the reflux condensate from flowing back into the pipe 16 while' permitting the lvapors toescape into the dephlegmator. The reflux condensate is drawn oli from thebottom of the reflux condenser by reflux line 21 controlled by throttle valve h22, which line 21 is connected to the feed line l7 as shown. Thenpper end of the dephlegmator is connected to p vapor outlet pipe 23 controlledby throttle dit hill

valve 24 and leading to condenser coil 25 sea-ted in condenser box 26. The lower end of the coil 25 isconnected by pipe 27 con trolled by throttle valve 28 to receiver 29.

This receiver 29 has liquid level gauge 3th pressure gauge 31, liquid drawoi pipej32 controlled by throttle valve 33 and uncondensable gas outlet pipe 34 having throttle valve 35. l

Referring now to the salient feature of the invention@ provide in the upper part of the expansion chamber a plurality of mechanical a sritator members which may take the form of fans 36 spaced apart and extending longitudinally of the expansion chamber. These fans 36 are carried by shafts 37 mounted in suitable oi-l tight bearings 38 and are actuated from the main drive shaft 39, connected to motor 40. The arrangement is such that as o the oil enters the expansion chamber, vaporization takes place and the vapors agitated by means of the fans shown. These fans serve 1^ to keep the vapors in constant agitation and rapid and rather violent contact with each other.

The processmay be carried out as follows:

Mexican crude oil having little or no gaso-y line content, is fed continuously into the heating tubes and heated to a temperature of say, 680 degrees F.. and a pressure Ofsay, 90 pounds. uid phase to the expansion chamber where vaporization takes place. The vapors pass to the dephlegmator where the heavier portions lare condensed and continuously re- It is ldelivered in substantially liql turned as reflux condensate to thevheating l tubes. The uncondensed portions pass out of the upper end of the dephlegmator to the final condenser where they are condensed and thence to the receiver.

A uniform pressure may be maintained on the system', if desired. As the vapors enter the vapor chamber, they are, as heretofore stated, subjected to the violent agita-v tion of the fans, which inasmuch as they tend to promote cracking, will tend to cause a higher percentage of the vapors to leave the dephlegmator in vapor form.

I claim as my invention: 1. A process of cracking oil, consisting in passing the oil through a coil of restricted f cross-sectional Iarea, disposed within a furnace wherein the oil 1s Sub]ected to cracking conditions of temperature and pressure and in introducing said oil while at a cracking temperature to an enlarged expansion cham- Vber wherein vaporization occurs, in mechanically agitating the vapors in said chamber by rotating elements disposedv therein., and in then passing the vapors from the expansion chamber for dephlegmation, condensation, l

and collection.

2. A process of cracking hydrocarbon oil, consisting in continuously passing the oil` in a stream of restricted cross-sectional area through a ,heating zone wherein it is subj'ectedto cracking temperature while maintained under a superatmospheric pressure, in discharging said stream into an elongatedexpansion chamber wherein vaporization occurs, inisubjecting the vapors in the upper p'Ortion of said chamber tothe action of Inechanical rotarfl agitating. members, in de phlegmating t e vapors issuing from said f expansionchamber, in continuousl returndistillate.

4 ing the reflux condensate resulting from such dephlegmation to said stream for treatment, in condensing the vapors resulting from said dephlegmation and collecting the resulting 3.Anapparatus for treating hydrocarbon oil, comprising a heating ccilgan expansion let, a dephlegmator communicating with the vapor outlet, a plurality of agitating fans disposed within the upper portion of said vapor chamber, means for rotating said avitating fans, a condenser connected to said dephlegmator, a receiver in communication With the discharge side of said vcondenser and means for maintaining a superatmospheric pressure uponthe apparatus.

GUSTAV EGrLOFF. 

